Why Are iOS Games Becoming Physical Board Games?

Published on December 11, 2012, by Trevor Sheridan - Posted in Editorial0

iOS games are continuously gaining in popularity, and the stand-outs in the top charts are being monetized outside of the App Store. One of the most curious new endeavors for iOS games is that path to becoming physical board games as seen in the toy section at your local store. Classic board games like Monopoly, Connect 4, Yahtzee, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Battleship, Scrabble, The Game of Life, Risk, Blokus, Ticket to Ride, and so many more that have made the transition to iOS. For some odd reason iOS specific games are making the transition back to a place they were never meant for.
With our holiday shopping, we’ve come across board games of Angry Birds, Cut The Rope, Fruit Ninja, Where’s My Water, Temple Run, Words with Friends, Draw Something, Farmville, Cityville, and more. It makes no sense whatsoever, but it seems Hasbro and Mattel are betting big on the idea with so many of these games at every major retailer. There are more Angry Birds games than any other, but in each you have to tediously set-up the blocks to knock down, while in the iOS version you can reset the level by tapping a single button. In the Where’s My Water board game there are marbles instead of water, and in Cut The Rope board game there’s no rope at all.

Games like Words with Friends and Draw Something are the classic board games of Scrabble and Pictionary, but with turn based online multiplayer. Why now have they moved back to their board game counterpart to restrict who, and how you can play? Board games are being slowly phased out thanks to iOS devices because of the hassle involved in setting up the boards, keeping track of the pieces, and being restricted to playing at your house. iOS games cut out all of these problems, but now toy companies are introducing iOS games made into board games that don’t make any sense at all. There are two Temple Run board games with one involving cards, the other dice and a game board, but neither connect with the fast paced action of the 3D endless runner.

The iOS games turned board games rank up there as the most pointless items on store shelves this holiday season, and hopefully this trend ends soon.

Latest Features

About Us

AppleNApps offers the most current, critical, concise, and consistent app reviews around. We are the definitive resource for the latest and greatest iPhone app reviews, iPad app reviews, and iTouch game reviews. We also provide current Apple news and editorials. We try to bring you the highest quality articles on everything Apple 'N' Apps, as well as recommendations of other items in the Apple universe.

We strive to bring insightful and thought provoking articles in an attempt to be more than just another news aggregator. Our site's coverage extends to everything Apple 'n' app related, but our primary focus is on the cross section of the two.